Thursday, August 9, 2018

Q&A Week 12

29 How did you come up with the names for the characters?
Many came from our research when starting the series. A few Mesopotamian names, since their mythology featured dream guardians protecting the sanity of the dreamer. Lilith, Naamah, and Igrath were presented as a trio of sisters in one of the myths I read. The Mokoi was from aboriginal folklore, a spirit that a shaman could dispatch to kill his enemies. The demon tree Malangi is also aboriginal, and Logos is from the western tradition.

And then there's Bill.

27 Why did you agree with and trust Geo to write a (canon) book based on your comic? In fact, what does it take to impress you enough to publis

Geo's book started as a simple personal project that reflected his own interests. He didn't begin with the goal of publication, and we treated it like other fanfiction: Basically ignoring it. Not out of apathy, but because we've got a very full plate. However over the years, he continued to build his narrative, share with readers, and it organically gained a following. As his work gained prominence, he realized there was a market that would be interested in a hard copy of his book. So he contacted us to inquire if and how such a thing might be permitted, and whether an official licensing deal was possible.
At that point I read through the completed initial draft of his novel, to provide feedback on lore details. Since his work was entertaining readers to the degree that a print run was viable, and since I also enjoyed the book and felt it made a good addition to official DK lore, we agreed to license it.

Part A, reader interest, is totally out of my hands. That's between the author and their potential audience. Part B, my own interest, is something I don't think I can articulate a formula for. Paint by numbers writing to please me probably wouldn't end up pleasing me anyways. I've just gotta be honest when something crosses my radar, and try to do a good job of managing Dreamkeepers. Not all fanart will get a licensing deal, but all of it can bring enjoyment to readers without the need for my approval. I just hope people have fun and write for the right reasons.

26 Are powers in any aspect hereditary? For example is a kid more susceptible to get a high level power if one of their parents does?

This used to be a topic of much debate in Anduruna, and other ancient cultures. Some Dreamkeepers believed power intensity was hereditary, and tried to breed for it- placing high expectations on their children. Sometimes a kid could meet those expectations, and sometimes there was just no way, no matter how hard they tried. And every now and then, a potent power wielder would just come out of left field.

So it appeared to Dreamkeepers that power intensity might be hereditary, but that tendency was littered with counterexamples. So the canon answer? Power intensity is not consistently hereditary, but it can be at at times, and there's a cultural predisposition to believe this is the case.

24 What is one thing that hindered you most when learning art?

Art college.

23 How did you guys get into furry fandom?

After deciding to make Dreamkeepers a comic, we took it around to a few preliminary conventions- anime and comic conventions. A few people said, "Oh look, a furry comic. Neat." So as soon as I realized there was a whole genre of people who liked cartoon animals, I figured it made a whole lot of sense to present our work to them. We started attending furry conventions, and here we are!